In front of a million people in Guayaquil the Pope calls for support and attention for the family - Great social capital

The family was at the
centre of the Pope's second day in Ecuador. Speaking to a vast crowd of people
who had gathered in Los Samanes Park in Guayaquil for Mass on 6 July, he said
that “the family constitutes the best 'social capital'”. He also recalled the
family's irreplaceable role in society.

Launching an appeal to support families and guarantee
them aid and services, he continued with the hope that they may not be a “type
of alms, but rather a genuine 'social debt' … which contributes to the common
good”. For the Pope, the family is a key place to defend life; it is school for
young ones, a reference point for young people, a welcoming place for the
elderly. It is, he said, a “domestic Church” where we learn to love and serve
and where tenderness and mercy are spread.

On this subject, Francis referred to the Extraordinary
Jubilee which will open on 8 December and the Synod of Bishops to be held in
October. The Holy Father invited everyone to develop true spiritual discernment
so as to identify concrete solutions to the challenges the family is called to
confront.

The homily at Mass in Guayaquil

The greeting to the faithful of Quito

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